CROWN POINT | Kaneka Kidd sobbed as she cradled her 6-year-old son's lifeless body in her arms, bodies strewn around her.
It was all part of the Gary woman's account as she testified Tuesday in Lake Criminal Court to the devastating April 10, 2006, drag-racing accident that prosecutors say took the life of her son, Jaylen Ellis, and three others.
"All the life in him was just out," Kidd said, her voice wobbling as she fought back tears. "I just cried and cried, 'My baby is dead, my baby is dead.'"
Family members of the other victims sobbed audibly throughout Kidd's testimony on the first day of Christopher Castillo's jury trial.
Castillo, 23, is charged with four counts of reckless homicide and six counts of criminal recklessness for a Gary crash that killed four and seriously injured six.
Police say Castillo was speeding east on Gary's Fifth Avenue at more than 100 mph when his vehicle hit another car and careened into a crowd.
Ellis, 6, Benjamin Harper III, 31, Conrad Richardson, 28, and Billy Muldrew Jr., 36, all of Gary, were killed when the Chevrolet Caprice raced down a straight stretch of the road and hit a Chevrolet Malibu turning left onto Colfax Street, police said.
After hitting the Malibu, the Caprice flew into the air, sheared off a utility pole and came down into the crowd in the empty lot between Colfax and Hamlin streets, police said.
About 20 residents were gathered at the vacant lot to socialize, Kidd said.
Castillo's attorney, Kirk Marrie, said the crash was a "tragic accident." He urged the jury Tuesday to focus on justice, not vengeance.
"Don't be a tool of vengeance," he said. "We can't bring anyone back. We can't turn back the clock."
Marrie also disputed contentions that Castillo was driving more than 100 mph.
Several witnesses told police that before the crash, Castillo and the driver of a black Mustang were driving along the stretch of road known for street racing, court records allege.
Kidd testified Tuesday that she heard Castillo bragging about how fast his car was just before the crash.
